Kept me turning the pages with cryptic curiosity! I really enjoyed the main bulk of the book and I raced through the pages wanting to know how each jigsaw piece of the story fitted together. Overall, I wasn't disappointed. However, I was left feeling that the very last part of the book was rushed and explained everything a little too quickly.

I thought this book started off quite slowly but developed into a tense gripping story that I couldnt wait to find out how it was going to end. I will definitely recommend this book

I’d like to thank Canelo and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Other Son’ written by J M Hewitt in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Sara Doyle’s sons Scott and Ryan are involved in a tragedy at their school in London. In an attempt to put the trauma behind them, Sara moves home to a wooden chalet in Kielder Forest in the North Pennines where she finds work at the Arts Centre. When she meets Travis Samuel, the art tutor and would-be counsellor, he leads her to believe he can help them by listening to their problems. He believes Sara is delicate but doesn’t realise that if pushed she’s anything but.

‘The Other Son’ encompasses tragedy, loss and love and shows what a mother will do to protect her offspring. The story is narrated by Sara and Scott as they recall events that happened a year ago and of life in their new home in Kielder Forest. It then moves to Travis who has reasons of his own for wanting to insinuate himself into their lives. The description of the tragedy was shocking but not over-emphasised, and enough detail was given for me to understand why Sara was acting as she was. The characters were perfectly described and I was so pleased when they eventually came to terms with past events and were able to talk to each other again. This is a tough story to read but it’s been so well-written that I couldn’t stop reading as I needed to know how the family were going to pull through.

This book actually talks about the aftermath of a school shooting and how a mother deals with the death of her son.

The story talks about Sara who moves to a new place to start a fresh new life after a tragedy that took away the life of her younger son, Ryan. Her older son, Scott is undergoing therapy and his new therapist Travis seems to have an interest towards Sara.

Although to me the plot of the story was good, it was a bit flat out boring to me. The story divides between the present day and the past, during the time when shooting was taking place. Not really a fast paced thriller and not much of twists and turns you would expect in a good thriller. The ending was predictable.

Anyway, this was an OK thriller to me and I feel this was more like a family drama. Worth 2.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I can't even think how to start reviewing this one. Yes, it's a thriller and has a very dark and creepy overtone the whole way through but its also really heartbreaking and a story of tragedy loss and pain. It does get under your skin and you do find yourself wanting to rush ahead so you can figure out what happened in the past. The 2 time lines really do build the tension and seeing the aftermath and not knowing what came before really does keep you invested. The characters are well written and relatable. I did pove it ad a thriller but yeah, it's also so so much more! I loved it

Scramble My Ducks! 😳😳😯🤯🥺

Somewhat quickly, I knew this book had "This is Where It Ends" & "Fifteen Minutes" books feel to it. I wasn't wrong. While I wish I would've had a heads up, even with this not being the main plot of the book, I still powered through. The feelings that it provoked were strong & heartfelt and perhaps at times took away from the real plot the author was trying to convey.
Sara needs a new start as does her son Scott. They move to a quiet village where they keep themselves, to themselves. Until Travis, a counsellor at the community centre focuses his attention on Sara believing he can fix her and her son. As Travis tries to make headway with Scott to get to Sara, he'll soon find out the truth about her and Scott, their past, why they've run & just how robust she can be when she feels threatened for herself or her son.
I'm still a mix of emotions and unsure how I was going to rate it. I mulled this over and the difficult subject matter it had. Although Hewitt did a really great job with his writing and all the perspectives, this was extremely hard to swallow and I felt the synopsis for this book did not convey what was the real subject matter. I don't know if I "enjoyed" it - in fact I'm sure I didn't. But it was interesting.

🔴 Trigger Warning: School Shooting, Massacre

Thank you to NetGalley & Canelo for this DARC.
Release Date: April 7, 2022

I give this 3.5 / 5 Bouquets! 💐

The main characters, Sarah and her son Scott, trapped in their tragedy and Travis who imagines himself their saviour, create a disturbing tale where a gripping plot and a fluid pace make you read all the way to the end.

My Review:
Wow, where to begin!!! I want to start off by saying that this had a very slow start to it. It did however finally pick up at the 40% mark. Once it did finally get going I really enjoyed this book. I did feel though that the past story was so much better than the present story. Honestly, I don’t think the author really needed the present story with how great the past story was. I also felt like the present story dragged on and I skimmed through most of those parts. Ok so let’s talk about the past story line. I absolutely loved it. It kept me interested and hooked. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened. I was shocked to learn the truth on what truly happened that tragic day. This was my first book by this author and it won’t be my last. I can’t wait to read another book by this author.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 4 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️

This is the first novel I have read by J.M. Hewitt and I am pleased to say that she has written other novels for us to explore. She has an enormous talent as a storyteller and has been a bookworm since her early childhood. Now she has dedicated herself to writing as well as reading, and I am so pleased that I was given the opportunity to read this novel as a member of NetGalley. The publisher Canelo provided me with a copy of ‘The Other Son’ in return for an honest review. I loved the storyboard and my heart went out to Scott straight away. He was by far my favourite character; he was brave, giving and caring, although he was not a popular boy at all. I enjoyed the back story too and this informed the story brilliantly. I thought the story was fantastic, loaded with thrills and spills, blind alleyways and truly shocking twists and turns. The finale of the story was the biggest twist of all.
This novel is a compelling, dark, psychological thriller. It starts when Scott and his younger brother are at school. It is an ordinary day, a day just like any other day. Children are in their classrooms with their teachers. Then the door of Scott’s classroom plunges open, nearly taking it off its hinges. The children are startled and frightened by what they see. It is another pupil called Noah from their school standing there with a gun in his hand. The shots immediately start ringing out, aimed all over the classroom. Noah is hyper energetic and buzzing. He has a walky-talky in hand and is communicating with someone else. This is a day that everyone will remember. Nineteen people are slaughtered, students and teachers.
Scott’s mother Sara flocks to the school like other parents, anxious to be reunited with their children. The police are already there, controlling the frantic parents and handling the evacuation of the children who were penned up inside. Most of the parents will leave relieved and with their sons or daughters, but some parents will not be so lucky. Counsellors will be offered to those blind sighted by what happened. The journalists will soon braying for news.
In the aftermath of the school shootings, Sara leaves the area and settles in the Kielder Forest National Park. She keeps herself to herself and home tutors her boys for her first year. But Scott is struggling with what happened and is mostly silent. Sara is also haunted by the shootings and her relationship with Scott is fractured. They never talk about it, they never had, and they also rejected the offer of counselling. Nobody in Kielder knows what happened to them a year ago and that is fine by Sara. She has put miles between the two homes she made for her family and has changed their surname. She doesn’t want friends. She doesn’t want them talking about it. They are okay alone keeping their secrets, but at what cost to their mental health?
Then Travis, a teacher where Sara works, takes an interest in the family. Sara agrees that Scott can attend the Art Class that Travis works. He tells her it may be therapeutic for Scott and that he has an interest in helping teenagers with problems. He is so keen to help that Sara decides that maybe Travis can bring her fractured family together again and very gradually she opens up to him. Soon she will wish that she had left well alone. This is Sara’s story, a real page-turner full of tension, suspense and with an unreliable narrator, misrepresenting the information to conceal what was the truth. It is a 4.5* review from me.

Tip Of An Iceberg…
Surviving a tragedy is the tip of the iceberg for Sara and her family in this unsettling suspense. Despite moving to find peace and tranquillity, behind closed doors is another world. Travis, a counsellor, sees her pain and wants to help. Or does he? One thing is certain, Sara will go to any lengths to protect those she loves. Twists and turns aplenty and a well crafted cast make for an immersive, disturbing read.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

Wow I thought that this was a really well written book. I thought that it was gripping and also original. I really liked the characters and the storyline is just really gripping and really well written. I really enjoyed this book.

This is a really solid thriller that draws you in from the start. I enjoyed it immensely and it kept my attention throughout. I’d definitely recommend it!

This was such a good read that I finished in one sitting. It was well written with a compelling and engaging storyline, well developed characters and a gripping narrative. It was fast paced, twisty and unpredictable. I really enjoyed it.

#TheOtherSon #NetGalley
Wow.
Sara and her family needed a fresh start after a tragedy that ruined many lives. They have found peace since arriving at their new home in the Kielder Forest National Park twelve months ago. That is, unless you count the dark cloud that has settled over them, and the crippling tension behind closed doors. Sara tries to pretend everything is normal, but in reality she is haunted by a devastating truth about one of her children.
Travis has a reputation as a counsellor skilled at helping troubled teens. He has been watching Sara. He sees her fragility, and believes that he can fix her and her eldest son. Like his mother, Scott barely speaks, and has a look in his eye that hints at unimaginable trauma. If Travis could only get close to Sara she would see that he can protect her, and put an end to their suffering.
Yet below the surface, Sara is anything but weak. No matter what, she won’t give up on her child. And when she is cornered, she will go to extreme lengths to protect her most precious boy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me an advance copy.